Medicinal applicator



March 11, 1958 w. E. VAN SICKLE ,8

MEDICINAL APPLICATOR Filed March 16, 1956 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR. WILTON 5. .u /v S/OZLE,

ATTOQ/VE YS.

March 11, 1958 'w. E. VAN SICKLE 2,826,198

MEDICINAL APPLICATOR Filed March 16, 1956 2 Shee'ts-Sheet 2 If I $5.8!) s fifiTFfiTI- IN V EN TOR.

W/L TON E. VANS/06L E,

Unite This invention relates to medicament applicators, and more particularly to such applicators of the plunger type. An object of the invention is to provide a medicament applicator which enables the dispensing of a medicament in either paste or tablet form.

Another object of the invention is to provide a medicament applicator in which a medicament may be dispensed in a predetermined dosage.

Further objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent from the following description and claims, and from the accompanying drawings, wherein:

Figure 1 is a side elevational view of a medicament applicator constructed in accordance with the present invention.

Figure 2 is a longitudinal cross sectional View taken on the line 22 of Figure 1.

Figure 3 is an enlarged transverse vertical cross sectional view taken on the line 3--3 of Figure 2.

Figure 4 is an enlarged cross sectional detail view of one end portion of the barrel member of the applicator of Figures 1 to 3, showing the flared construction of the cooperating end portion of the plunger element of the applicator and showing the retaining rib which normally holds the plunger from separation with respect to the barrel member.

Figure 5 is a longitudinal cross sectional view of another form of a medicament applicator according to the present invention.

Figure 6 is an enlarged cross sectional view of the end portion of the barrel member of the applicator of Figure 5 showing the abutment cooperating with the retaining rib on the barrel for limiting the extent of withdrawal movement of the plunger.

Figure 7 is a longitudinal cross sectional view of a furthat form of a medicament applicator according to the present invention.

Figure 8 in an enlarged end view taken from the righthand end of the assembly of Figure 7, but with such righthand end turned 90.

Figure 9 is a fragmentary sectional exploded view of the right-hand end portion of the assembly of Figure 5, but showing a ,difierent cooperating attaching means for securing the tip to the barrel.

Referring to Figures 1 to 4 of the drawings, the medicament applicator is designated generally at 11 and comprises a tubular barrel 12 of any suitable material, such as plastic material or the like, said barrel being provided at one end with the flared rounded discharge tip 13, said tip having the internal threads 14 adapted to be threadedly engaged with the neck portion of a conventional paste tube, whereby the applicator may be filled directly from the paste tube by squeezing said paste tube.

The flared dis-charge tip is further formed with an annular recess 15 at its outer end adapted to receive a medicinal tablet or pill to be applied by the applicator.

Secured on the opposite end of the barrel member 12 is the annular sleeve member 16 having the enlarged end portion 17, the sleeve member 16 being formed with an States Patent 0 inwardly projecting retaining rib 18. Designated at 19 is a solid plunger rod which is slidably received in the barrel 12, said plunger rod being formed adjacent its forward or inner end with the flaring portion 2t) which is slidable in the bore of the barrel 12 and which is normally engageable by the internally projecting rib 18 to prevent the plunger rod 19 from being separated from the barrel member 12. However, since the rib 18 is formed integrally with the sleeve member 17, and since said sleeve member is formed of relatively yieldable material, such as plastic material or the like, the rib 18 is sufficiently yieldable to allow the plunger rod 19 to be withdrawn from the barrel member 12 when suflicient force is exerted on said plunger rod to pull the plunger rod out of the barrel member, whereby the plunger rod may be, at times, removed from the barrel member to allow cleaning of these parts of the applicator.

The plunger rod is provided at its outer end with the gripping knob 23 and is formed with the elongated longitudinal recesses 24 in its side portions to allow free movement of air past the sides of the plunger rod as the plunger rod is moved through the barrel member 12. As will be readily apparent from Figure 4, the grooves 24 allow free venting of the interior portion of the barrel member 12 past the retaining rib 18 as the plunger rod 20 is moved inwardly into the barrel member, namely, to the right, as viewed in Figure 4.

As above mentioned, the barrel member 12 may be filled by threadedly engaging the internal threads 14 on the neck of a conventional paste tube and applying squeezing pressure to the tube to force the paste material therefrom into the barrel member 12. When the device is to be employed to apply tablets or similar solid medicinal objects, said tablets or medicinal solid objects are seated in the annular recess 15, whereby the medicinal objects may be applied to the portion of the body requiring same by exerting suitable force on the plunger rod 19 by means of the knob element 23.

The barrel member 12 is preferably formed of transparent material, such as transparent plastic material or the like, so that the paste material inserted therein will be visible, the barrel member 12 being also preferably calibrated with a suitable volumetric scale to enable the user to determine the amount of material placed in the barrel member for dosage. In specific cases, the barrel member 12 may be suitably marked to indicate the correct amounts of medicaments required for proper dosage.

Referring to Figures 5 and 6, this form is the same as that of Figures 1 to 4, except that the threading on the internal portion of the tip 13 is omitted, the internal area of the annular recess 15 is increased, and an abutment is positioned on the plunger 19 at a selected point inwardly of the inner end which cooperates with the rib 18 to normally limit the extent of movement of the plunger 19 away from the tip 13. As shown in Figure 5, the internal portion 14 of the tip 13 is smooth, and the annular recess 15 is of an internal area such that more than one tablet may be embracingly received therein. Positioned on the plunger 19 at a point substantially midway of the plunger is an abutment in the form of a ring 30 which cooperates with the rib 18 to normally limit the extent of movement of the plunger away from the tip, and as shown in Figure 5, the ring 30 is in abutting engagement with the rib 18. As will be apparent from Figure 5, the plunger 19 is positioned within the barrel 12 so that the inner end is adjacent the tip 13 and is slidable in the barrel toward and away from the tip 13, and that the inner end of the plunger 19 has the flared portion 20 adjacent said inner end. Although the abutment or ring 30 normally limits the extent of movement of the plunger away "from the tip 13, it is to be understood that the plunger may be released from the barrel 12 when suflicient pull is exerted on the plunger. By this limiting of the movement of the plunger away from the tip 13, the portion of the barrel 12 between the inner end of the plunger and the tip 13 constitutes a dosage chamber of a predetermined capacity. By selectively positioning the abutment or ring 30 on the plunger 19 so that it is farther from or nearer to the inner end of the plunger, dosage chambers in the barrel 12 of larger or smaller sizes are formed.

Reverting to the form of Figures 7 and 8, this form is the same as that of Figures 1 to 4, except that the threading on the internal portion of the tip 13 is omitted, and the recess is modified, and the flared portion 29 on the inner end of the plunger 19 is omitted. As shown in Figure 7, the recess 35 is tapered with opposed slots 36 formed in the tip 13. This tapering recess is adapted to receive therein medicinal tablets of varying sizes and the slots are for the purpose of accommodating the fingers of a user for withdrawing a tablet from the recess. Also, the abutment or ring 30 is positioned on the plunger farther from the inner end thereof, and as shown in Figure 7, the ring 39 is in abutting engagement with the rib 13, thereby forming a dosage chamber in the barrel 12 of a size smaller than that of the dosage chamber of the form of Figure 5.

As for Figure 9, such figure includes an end portion of the barrel 12 and of the discharge tip 13 of the assembly of Figure with such end portions illustrated in an exploded sectional view, so as to depict a dilferent cooperating attaching means for securing the tip to the barrel. As

shown in such figure, the barrel is provided inwardly of and adjacent the one end contiguous to the tip, with an external annular groove 40 in which is seated a ring 41 projecting from the inner face of the tip 13 with the portion of the barrel between the said one end and the groove 40 embracingly received in a complemental recess 42 formed in the inner face of the tip 13. It is to be noted that the tip 13 is sulficiently yieldable as to permit it to be snap fitted onto the barrel.

This application is a continuation-impart of application Serial No. 477,197, filed December 23, 1954, now abandoned.

What is claimed is:

l. A medicament applicator comprising a tubular barrel, a discharge tip on one end of said barrel having an internal portion arranged to engage the neck of a conventional paste tube, said tip being formed with a recess at its end located outwardly of said internal portion and being adapted to embracingly receive a medicinal tablet. an inwardly projecting rib at the other end of said barrel, a plunger having a flared inner end positioned within said barrel so that the inner flared end is adjacent said tip and slidable in said barrel toward and away from said tip, and an abutment on said plunger at a selected point inwardly of said inner end thereof and cooperating with said rib to normally limit the extent of movement of said plunger away from said tip, said rib being sufficiently yieldable to allow said plunger to be removed from said barrel when sufficient pull is exerted on said plunger.

2. A medicament applicator comprising a tubular barrel, a discharge tip on one end of said barrel having an internal portion arranged to engage the neck of a conventional paste tube, said tip being formed with a tapering recess at its end located outwardly of said internal portion and being adapted to embracingly receive medicinal tablets of varying sizes, an inwardly projecting rib at the other end of said barrel, a plunger having a flared '4 inner end positioned within said barrel so that the inner flared end is adjacent said tip and slidable in said barrel toward and away from said tip, and an abutment on said plunger at a selected point inwardly of said inner end thereof and cooperating with said rib to normally limit the extent of movement of said plunger away from said tip, said rib being sufficiently yieldable to allow said plunger to be removed from said barrel when sufficient pull is exerted on said plunger.

3. A medicament applicator comprising a tubular barrel, a discharge tip on one end of said barrel having an internal portion arranged to engage the neck of a conventional paste tube, said tip being formed with a recess at its end located outwardly of said internal portion and being adapted to embracingly receive a medicinal tablet, an inwardly projecting rib at the other end of said barrel, a plunger having an inner end positioned Within said barrel so that the inner end is adjacent said tip and slidable in said barrel toward and away from said tip, said plunger having a flared portion adjacent said inner end cooperating with said rib to normally prevent removal of said plunger, and an abutment embodying a ring on said plunger at a selected point inwardly of said flared portion and cooperating with said rib to normally limit the extent of movement of said plunger away from said tip, said rib being sufficiently yieldable to allow said plunger to be removed from said barrel when sufiicient pull is exerted on said plunger.

4. A medicament applicator comprising a tubular barrel, a discharge tip on one end of said barrel having an internally threaded portion arranged to threadedly engage with the neck of a conventional paste tube, said tip being formed with an annular recess at its end located outwardly of said internally threaded portion and being adapted to receive a medicinal tablet, a plunger slidably engaged in said barrel, said plunger having a flared inner end, and an inwardly projecting retaining rib at the other end of said barrel cooperating with said flared inner end to normally prevent removal of said plunger, said rib being sufliciently yieldable to at times allow said plunger to be removed when sufficient pull is exerted on said plunger.

5. A medicament applicator comprising a tubular barrel, a discharge tip on one end of said barrel having an internally threaded portion arranged to threadedly engage with the neck of a conventional paste tube, said tip being formed with an annular recess at its end located outwardly of said internally threaded. portion and being adapted to receive a medicinal tablet, a plunger slidably engaged in said barrel, said plunger having a flared inner end, and an inwardly projecting retaining rib at the other end of said barrel cooperating with said flared inner end to normally prevent removal of said plunger, said rib being sufficiently yieldable to at times allow said plunger to be removed when sutlicient pull is exerted on said plunger, said plunger being formed with an elongated longitudinal recess at its side to allow free movement of air past the side of the plunger and past said retaining rib.

References Cited in the tile of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 545,102 Sleem Aug. 27, 1895 2,619,087 Oclassen Nov. 25, 1952 2,705,496 Svenson Apr. 5, 1955 2,724,385 Lockhart Nov. 22, 1955 

